02 11 Show Her, Tell Her
by NewDrWhoFan
Summary: Another 10Rose gap filler-inner, this time covering the before and after for "Fear Her", and a tiny bit into "Army of Ghosts"
1. Shopping Trip

_Another gap filler-inner, this time covering the before and after for "Fear Her", and a tiny bit into "Army of Ghosts"._

_Once again, although this story is meant to remain within the TV show canon, it's written as a sequel to my stories, "The Girl in the Stalking Spaceship", "Age of Bronze", "Lantern Extinguished", "Gravity Schmavity", and "Love and Monsters". I'd like to dedicate this to gaiafreedom21, who inspired this entire series of stories by wanting to see how the Doctor's and Rose's relationship changed as a result of "The Girl in the Fireplace"_

_This is the unbeta'd first chapter, since I'm too impatient to wait until my betas get back to me :)_

_If some of this seems a teensy, weensy bit familiar, it's because parts of this story were inspired by the non-AU portion of my even earlier story, "Happily Ever After"._

_Disclaimer: Surprise, surprise, I don't own Doctor Who. Nor do I get anything from writing these stories--except wonderful, constructive reviews! Wink, wink; nudge, nudge ;)_

* * *

Chapter 1, Shopping Trip

Rose stepped out of the TARDIS behind the Doctor, and adjusted her backpack of laundry as she followed him out of the alley in which they had landed. They seemed to be at the edge of a market square, with all sorts of canopied sales tables set out before them. Surrounding the square were towering buildings, the like of which Rose had never seen before.

"They're sort of shimmery," she said to the Doctor, as he took her hand, leading her across the square.

"It's because of the planet's location," he explained as they walked. "Well, it's not technically a planet, actually part of an asteroid belt, but this particular chunk of space rock was so huge that it became habitable. But the other asteroids in its orbit are full of all sorts of rare metals. Hence the buildings, as well as the jewelry."

Rose glanced down from the skyscrapers to look at the tables as they passed. "Oh, wow!" she exclaimed, seeing the variety of jewelry and trinkets spread out before her. "Can I get somethin' for Mum?"

The Doctor sighed, but cooperatively led her over to a table.

She smiled, squeezing his hand. Rose looked at the table, and what seemed like intricate bronze sculptures. "What is it?" she asked.

"This," said the Doctor, picking up a piece with a nod from the sales attendant and holding it in front of her eyes, "is what's known as 'Bezoolium'. It acts like a barometer, getting cooler or hotter when the atmospheric pressure decreases or increases."

"So, a barometer, so it can, what, tell the weather?" she asked, taking the piece from him and inspecting it.

"Basically," said the Doctor. "You could think of it as cool: rain; warm: sun."

"Perfect!" said Rose, "I'll take it."

They walked a bit further, when Rose came upon a table of the most exquisite rings and bracelets she'd ever seen. They were made of a kind of silvery metal, with pinks and turquoise twisted throughout. "Beautiful," she breathed, running her hands over the jewelry. She smiled as she traced the swirls on one ring, marveling at how the diamond-like gems were almost woven into the band. She moved on, fingering a bracelet made of such fine strands of the metal that it felt almost like cloth.

"Would the lady like to try the piece on?" asked the attendant.

"Could I?" she asked with a smile.

The attendant released it from the display table and held it up. The Doctor took it from him before Rose could reach for it. "Allow me?" he asked her.

Rose smiled, holding out her right arm. She hoped the goose bumps he gave her weren't too obvious as he wrapped the bracelet around her wrist.

The attendant chose that moment to pipe up again. "The lady is indeed fortunate; the gentleman has very delicate hands."

"They're not delicate!" The Doctor objected, obviously flustered. He was so funny when he was embarrassed.

"I only meant well-suited to delicate tasks," the attendant corrected himself.

"Well they're not," the Doctor huffed. "They're manly hands. Hairy even, see?" He held up his hands for the clerk's and Rose's closer inspection. "Manly, hairy hands," he mumbled, making quick work of the clasp, and gently fitting the bracelet around Rose's wrist.

"Seem pretty delicate to me," Rose teased.

"You like?" he asked. Rose raised her eyebrows. "The bracelet," he clarified.

"Love it," she confirmed.

"We'll take it," said the Doctor to the attendant.

Rose watched as the credit exchange was made. She really hadn't intended to get anything for herself, but the Doctor was being so sweet. She kissed him right on the lips when he'd completed the sale. "Thanks," she said.

"All set then?" he asked with a smile as she pulled away. She nodded. "Alrighty, next stop, laundromat."

* * *

Rose thought it looked like a wall of paint samples, but instead of colors, each card had a number and a scent description. They were grouped into categories: fruits--those she expected, other foods (including cheeses), flowers; and then they just got weird. She amended her earlier impression of it not being quite like choosing paint, when she saw the "colors" section. The Doctor insisted that colors had particular smells, and spent the better part of half an hour trying to get Rose to be able to distinguish between them.

"Come on, Rose, this is just simple olfactory distinction," whined the Doctor. "I'm not even giving you the tricky ones."

Rose was standing with her hands firmly over her eyes, while the Doctor waved a card under her nose. "This one?" he asked.

Rose sniffed, then pursed her lips. "Red?" she asked.

"Eh, almost. Orange," he answered.

"That smells nothin' like an orange," she argued.

"Color, not fruit." Rose sighed. "How about this one?" he asked.

She tried to concentrate. To be honest, she was mostly just enjoying their proximity, but standing with her eyes covered was taking some of the fun out of it. "Brown."

"Exactly!" he exclaimed. "How about this?"

Rose was startled. Her mind had been wandering, and she'd been thinking about his hair. His thick, soft, oh-so-fingerable . . . . She mentally shook herself and smelled the next card. She smirked, getting an image of the ridiculous white tie he was wearing today. "White," she said.

"Ah, you're getting it now!"

She was surprised, to say the least. Colors really have smells?

"And this?"

She couldn't help but lick her lips. "Red," she answered.

"Okay," the Doctor said, his voice squeaking slightly. "Um, seems you've got the hang of it. I'll leave you to it, then."

Rose peeked through her fingers to see the Doctor watching her mouth, then dropped her hands, snapping him out of it.

"Just, uh, pick which one you want, then give it to the clerk with your laundry," he instructed. "You've got your credit stick?" Rose pulled it from her pocket and waved it. "Good. I'll just get the groceries, then." With that, he turned and left the building, leaving a smirking Rose in his wake.

* * *

_To be continued._


	2. Scheming Doctor

Chapter 2, Scheming Doctor

The Doctor hurried out of the laundromat, right past the grocery store, and back into the bazaar. He wound his way through the tables, looking for the one they were at last. With relief, he spotted the annoying attendant, and ran over to him.

"Ah, would the gentleman like another trinket for the lady?" he asked.

The Doctor swallowed back his sarcasm and tried to be cooperative. "Yes, I'd like this ring, please," he said, indicating the one Rose had been fascinated with. He knew what rings usually meant to humans of Rose's era, and had been warring internally about whether he might mean it like that. To be honest, he knew he did, but could he ask it of her? Should he broach the topic of marriage, or just give it to her and let her draw her own conclusions?

"And do you know the lady's size? I can fit it for you now, if you like."

Size? He had no clue. He didn't even know what standards jewelers used in this particular time and place. "What sizes do you use?" He figured it couldn't hurt to ask.

The attendant pulled a tapered rod from the small workbench behind him. It had markings along its length, indicating the different diameters.

"May I?" asked the Doctor, holding out his hand. The attendant handed it to him.

He held it between the fingers of his right hand, just as if it were Rose's hand clasped in his. He positioned it carefully, making sure the feel was just right. Noting the appropriate diameter, he handed it back to the attendant.

"How long should this take?" The Doctor asked, watching as the ring was removed from the table and prepared for re-sizing.

"Not ten minutes," the attendant replied. "I will, of course, need payment in advance."

The Doctor paid hurriedly, then raced back through the tables to the grocery store. He could have skipped it and told Rose they just didn't have what he wanted, but it was better to have a tangible alibi. That, and he really did need some more marmalade.

A dozen jars of marmalade later, the Doctor was back at the jeweler's, picking up Rose's ring. He tucked it carefully into his jacket pocket, and made his way back to the laundromat.

He'd made record time, so Rose's clothes were still in the process of being dried, fluffed, folded, and scented by the fancy, high-tech machinery. He stood by the door, watching Rose watch her clothes. Growing impatient, he pulled out a jar, and proceeded to snack on the marmalade.

Once Rose's things were ready, he licked his fingers clean and closed the jar. He reached out to hold her hand as she approached.

"No way, you just licked marmalade from those fingers! Wash, first," she demanded.

The Doctor made to protest, but decided he'd rather be able to hold Rose's hand. He put the jar back into his pocket, only to have it clink loudly against the other jars on that side.

"How much marmalade 'ave you got in there?" asked Rose, as the Doctor was shown to a sink behind the laundromat's front counter and began to wash.

"Enough," he replied evasively.

"Yeah?" asked Rose. With that, she dove her hand into his pocket, and proceeded to count the jars by feel.

The Doctor tried feebly to shake her off, while keeping his hands under the stream of water. "Rose Tyler, that's an invasion of privacy, I'll have you know!"

"Six!" she said, backing away and letting him dry his hands. "Ya got six in the other one as well?"

"Maybe. Like I said, I got enough."

"C'mon," Rose said with a shake of her head, holding out her hand to him.

Before he took it, he reached up and removed the backpack from her shoulder, carrying it over his own. "Let's go," he said, feigning a grumpy disposition, taking her hand and leading her from the building. Truth be told, he was just a bit elated, imagining how her hand might feel once she was wearing his ring.

--

To be continued.


	3. Scheming Rose

Chapter 3, Scheming Rose

Returning to the TARDIS, Rose took her laundry from the Doctor with a quick "thanks", and headed off to her room.

Rose tossed her pack of laundry on the bed and leaned against her closed door. She thought about that morning, last night, how little things were changing between them. Touches, kisses. More than a peck on the cheek, but only just.

Unzipping her backpack, Rose took out the freshly laundered clothes and piled them on a chair by her closet. Her undergarments she tossed back into her hamper, saving them for their next trip to her mum's. The laundromat might have been high-tech and all that, but you still had to hand your clothes over to strangers who ran them through machines with windows.

Rose mulled things over about her and the Doctor while she showered and changed. She bit her lip in thought, wondering how far she dared push the boundaries. A smile crept over her face as she made a decision. She'd go as far as he'd let her take it.

She knew perfectly well what she wanted, and she was fairly certain he wanted it, too. She'd never wish a mortgage, a house with carpets and windows, or anything like that on the Doctor. But who said they had to be "just friends" as they explored the universe in the TARDIS? Wouldn't it make things simpler if, the next time some prince on another planet tried to claim Rose as his wife, the Doctor could just say, "Sorry, she's _my_ wife"?

Of course, she hardly expected a sit-down conversation on the matter. What, the Doctor, mister never-talk-about-anything-personal, did she expect him to _ask_ her to be his _girlfriend_? Ha! That'd be the day. Now, maybe if they managed to get to the point where he was considering repopulating his species . . . . But for now, the trick was to keep things friendly and spontaneous, not to let him think himself out of it. He was the high and mighty Time Lord, let him be the one to say "when". And maybe, just maybe, he wouldn't.

Resolved, Rose returned to the console room to find the Doctor waiting in the captain's chair, once again eating marmalade.

"Rose!" he said with a smile, as she sat next to him. "Ready for some real fun?" he asked, screwing the top onto the jar. "On to the next adventure?"

Rose just smiled at him. In the middle of his tie sat a huge drop of jam.

"What?" he asked, looking down. "Oh, no," he said miserably, holding out his tie in front of him. "Why is it only _after_ we stop at the laundromat that I get a great big blob of orange on my brand new white tie? Why?" He tried to lick the jam off, but only succeeded in spreading the stain.

Rose laughed. "You should know better than to wear white, with the trouble you get into." The Doctor was about to retort, but she continued, "Besides, 's not your color."

"No?" he asked, loosening the tie so that he could take it off.

She shook her head. "Darker looks much better on you," she said, reaching up to help him, and fingering the dark blue shirt. "Ya never even button the top button anyway, why d'ya bother wearin' a tie at all?" The Doctor pulled the tie over his head, flinging it over the back of the seat. "You idiot," she said, realizing something.

"Now what?" asked the Doctor pitifully.

Rose smoothed out his shirt, her fingers brushing a bit of exposed skin at his neck. She watched him swallow, his Adam's apple brushing against her fingertips. "This shirt doesn't even have a collar. You _don't _wear ties with collarless shirts!"

"I don't--" his voice rasped out. He cleared his throat. "How am I supposed to know?" he asked. "Besides, it adds a bit of variety, being a bit different." His tone was light, but he'd gone quite still under her touch.

"Tie-less adds variety, too, once in a while," she suggested. Seeing how the Doctor seemed to be affected by her actions, she casually slid her fingers down to undo the second button on his shirt.

"Variety's good," the Doctor said vaguely, swallowing again, the ghost of a smile on his face.

Rose bet that she could snog him senseless right there, and he'd not have a single objection. She casually licked her lips, and noticed his gaze instantly shift to her mouth. "What did you have in mind?" Rose asked, deciding a bit of torture was more appropriate just now. Bring him down a peg or two first.

"Hmm?" he asked. His hand had come up to play with the bit of hair she'd left free of her hair tie--just for him, although he didn't need to know it.

"Some real fun? The next adventure, you said? Where're we goin'?" she asked, suddenly sitting back in the chair, a look of innocence on her face.

* * *

The Doctor looked at her blankly for a while, processing her unexpected question, then jumped to his feet with a clap of his hands. "Right!" he shouted over-exuberantly. "Fun, right!" he repeated, circling the console. "Do you want to pick, or be surprised?" he asked, finally meeting her eyes from the far side of the time rotor.

"Surprise me," Rose said with a smile.

She was toying with him, he knew it. And there wasn't a thing he could--or wanted to--do about it. He was putty in her hands. Her hands. Oh, best not to think about it right now. Maybe later, after he'd wowed her with his magnificent time-traveling prowess.

But in the meantime, it was time to show her just how impressive this Time Lord could be. The TARDIS came to rest, and he led the way to the doors and to the 2012 Olympics beyond them.

"Ah." Impressiveness only slightly diminished by landing with TARDIS doors obstructed.

* * *

_To be continued, after "Fear Her"._


	4. Fear

_Post "Fear Her", in case you can't guess . . ._

* * *

Chapter 4, Fear

As the fireworks exploded overhead, Rose and the Doctor walked down the street, hand in hand. Everyone in Chloe's drawings had been restored, the Olympic torch had been lit, and the Isolus had been sent on its way.

It was such a relief to have the Doctor back, thought Rose. Almost worse than seeing him trapped as a child's drawing had been those seemingly endless minutes when he hadn't returned. She almost cried when she saw him on the telly, picking up the Olympic torch. He was back, now, and they were together. As always. "You know what," Rose said, "they keep on trying to split us up, but they never ever will." She stopped with the Doctor as he looked at her.

"Never say 'never ever'," he told her.

"Nah," she said with confidence. "We'll always be okay, you and me." At the Doctor's silence, she felt a small bubble of fear in the pit of her stomach. "Don't you reckon, Doctor?" He was being weird--weirder than usual--and Rose didn't like it one bit.

He still didn't answer her, just looked up at the sky. Then, "Something in the air. Something coming," he said cryptically.

"What?" she asked, looking up as well.

Suddenly, the Doctor was gone. One moment she'd been clinging to him, and the next, her hand closed around air. She ran back to Chloe's house, up to her room, to find her pinning up a new drawing of the Doctor. This time, he was pointing to a rain cloud over his head.

"No!" screamed Rose, snatching up the drawing. "Let him out! Give him back!" she shouted at Chloe, all the while staring at the Doctor. Little cartoon-ish lightnings flickered around the rain cloud, and the Doctor just kept pointing up at it. "This isn't happening," Rose sobbed.

"What a pretty little girl."

Rose whipped around to Chloe's laptop, only to see a face that had haunted her nightmares in recent nights. "The Wire," she breathed.

"Yes, I'm talking to you, little one. The lost girl, so far away from home. The valiant child who will die in battle so very soon." Bolts of pink electricity reached out from the monitor towards Rose's face. "Hungrrryyy!" She felt herself being drawn into the screen, and watched in horror as the face of the Wire morphed into a hideous, horned beast.

Rose clutched the Doctor's drawing in her hands, and felt herself flipped around, her entire body being pulled towards the screen, feet first. The Doctor was her one anchor, but her fingers were slipping, slipping, slipping.

The Beast laughed, horrible, deep, laughter, and--knocking?

Rose gasped as her eyes opened, taking in her dimly-lit bedroom. There was a knocking on her door, followed at last by the Doctor's voice. "Rose? Are you up yet? The first events start in an hour."

"I'm up, gimme a minute," she answered, still lying in bed, catching her breath.

"I'll be in the kitchen," said the Doctor through the door. She listened to his retreating footsteps, as she tried to calm her racing heart.

"Just a dream," Rose murmured to herself. The Isolus had been sent on its way, Chloe was free, the Doctor was back, and today he was going to take her to see the first games of the thirtieth Olympiad.

"Deep breaths," she said quietly, making herself breathe in through her nose, out through her mouth. She wiped her hand over her face, and was surprised to find tears.

Shaking herself, Rose rolled out of bed, determined to put the nightmare behind her. She'd dealt with it all already. The Wire'd been taped over, the Beast had simply been lying, and the Isolus was just a kid and was well on its way home. Of course, there were the Doctor's own words, "A storm's approaching." She hadn't quite figured out what he meant by that, and he hadn't been about to volunteer. He'd been all cheery a moment after he'd said it, leading her back to the TARDIS with promises of watching the games tomorrow.

Or, today, actually. Rose got herself washed and dressed and headed out towards the kitchen, eager to just see the Doctor again, whatever the day might have in store for them.

* * *

_To be continued._


	5. Over the Edge

Chapter 5, Over the Edge

They'd spent the day watching the first of the Olympic games, Rose mentioning neither her nightmare, nor the Doctor's dark words of the night before. It was just the two of them, enjoying each other's company.

Back on the TARDIS that evening, Rose and the Doctor had curled up together on the sofa in front of the television. They'd seen one day's worth of games, but the Doctor promised to show her the highlights of the rest of that year's Olympics. The Doctor hadn't been kidding about the shot put; Papua New Guinea had come out of nowhere.

Rose was quite comfortable, leaning back against the Doctor, trapping one of his legs against the couch, while he lazily ran his fingers through her hair. She'd really only been paying half attention to the games, all the while wondering if she could possibly make any moves on the Doctor without scaring him away. As the award ceremony for the last event began, she decided she'd worked up enough courage to try.

As the Doctor's fingers moved gently against her scalp, she hummed contentedly, and leaned into his touch. "Mmm, do you have any idea how nice that feels?" she asked, closing her eyes.

"To you, or to me?" he asked. She could hear the smile in his voice--excellent.

"To me," she said. She deftly turned around on the sofa, so that she was kneeling between his legs, hands on his chest. In answer to his mildly startled expression, she said, "Lemme show you."

Rose trailed her fingers up the Doctor's neck, up through the hair behind his ears, gently scraping her nails against his scalp. She was quite pleased to see him close his eyes, and lean back in her hands. She let his head rest against the couch, moving her hands to smooth his forehead before raking her fingers back through the longer hair on top of his head. Taking advantage of his more reclined position, she rested one hand on his chest, still running the other through his hair.

She leaned up to his ear, and gently breathed, "How's that?" She pulled back just enough to see his eyes open and lock with hers.

"Great," he whispered.

Rose smiled, and bit her lip just so that he'd notice. She let her tongue dart quickly, yet conspicuously, along said lip, watching the Doctor's gaze follow rather helplessly. All according to plan, she thought with a mental grin.

"Rose--"

"Yeah?"

She didn't mind that he was suddenly speechless, because his hands had moved to her sides, slid up her back, and now his right had once again found its way into her hair, cradling her head. It seemed his mouth was trying to form words, but she gave up trying to guess what words when he pulled her to him, pressing his lips to hers.

After a brief, internal victory dance at having gotten _him_ to kiss _her_ (that hadn't been too hard, after all), Rose put everything she had into making sure the Doctor knew this was an entirely welcome development. The hand that had supported her against his chest slid back around his neck. At the slightest parting of his lips, she sighed into him. The kiss seemed so perfect that it felt more like a dream; Rose even pinched her hand behind his head to make sure.

The Doctor's hands moved against her back, from her neck down to her sides, worrying at the hem of her t-shirt. She felt him hum against her as his fingers found their way to the bare skin at her waist.

Reluctantly, Rose pulled back for a desperate breath. Her eyes opened as the Doctor pushed--gently, but insistently--against her, making her sit fully back on the couch. Before she knew what was happening, she was laid back with the Doctor above her. She smiled at his half-intent, half-questioning look, taking advantage of his pause to reach behind his neck and pull him down to her. She wasn't about to let him think himself into backing out now.

To Rose's delight, the Doctor complied, making quite a thorough job of exploring her mouth, his tongue working in ways she'd only dreamed. He was supporting himself with one hand beside her head. The other was moving gently beneath her shirt, fingers sliding along her side and over her stomach in the small space between them.

She heard herself whimper when his lips broke the contact, but they were instantly back, trailing across her cheek, to begin an assault on her ear. "Doctor," she said weakly, angling her head to give him plenty of access.

"My Rose," he whispered in her ear, before moving to reclaim her lips.

It was as if they were trying to devour each other in the slowest, gentlest ways possible. She'd always imagined he'd be a quite capable kisser, but this . . . . "Oh, this is good," Rose murmured when he pulled away again to move on to her neck.

"Mutual, I'm sure."

She couldn't quite tell if he was just really into it, or if there was a bit of haughtiness seeping through. She didn't care. He could be as haughty as he liked, so long as he kept doing _that_ to her collarbone.

Unfortunately, the Doctor seemed a bit too eager to comply with Rose's silent wishes, overbalancing and rolling completely off the couch.

A quick glance over the side to see that he wasn't hurt, and Rose involuntarily burst out laughing.

The Doctor looked a tiny bit embarrassed, lying there with a slight blush and his hair gorgeously ruffled, but joined in her laughter. He held out a hand to her, and Rose sat up, taking it and helping him to his feet. He then pulled her up with him, conveniently forgetting to release her hands once she was standing. They stood there, inches apart, and Rose thought the look on his face was the most beautiful she'd ever seen.

They were startled by the video coming to an end, filling the room with white noise. The Doctor took care of turning it off, while Rose smoothed down her shirt, more out of something to do than actual self-consciousness. When the Doctor had finished, Rose said lightly, "Well, I'm for bed, I think." Best not to push too far, she thought. There should be plenty more opportunities to come, if tonight was anything to go by.

"I'll walk you home," the Doctor offered with a smile, holding out his hand, fingers waggling.

They walked through the TARDIS in a comfortable silence, until they came to Rose's door. As she turned the handle, Rose was trying to think of something appropriate to say, wondering what the Doctor might need to hear in order to not be able to talk himself into some sort of guilt complex by morning. However, she was spared from any such speeches when he brought his hand to her neck, and quickly covered her lips with his own in a sweet, blissfully deep goodnight kiss.

"Sleep well," he whispered.

Rose smiled at him, biting her lip. Somehow, she got her muscles to coordinate sufficiently for her to back into the room and close the door between them. She fell to her bed, and let out a long breath. "I'd call that a success," she said to the ceiling as she rolled onto her back. My Rose, he'd called her. Now, if only she could fall asleep, she knew exactly what she'd be dreaming of tonight.

* * *

_To be continued._


	6. Cold Feet

Chapter 6, Cold Feet

The Doctor spent the rest of the evening, and into the next morning, pacing in his room on the TARDIS.

Ever since they'd visited the asteroid bazaar, and the Doctor had gone so far as to actully buy Rose a ring, he had been racking his brain trying to figure out how--and whether--he should give it to her. If last night had been any indication of what she wanted from him . . . he couldn't believe how far he'd let himself go, but she hadn't exactly been helping him to resist.

He could hardly fathom his situation. "The Doctor" pondering marriage--to a human! Yes, he knew she'd never live as long as he would, and that irrational sense of impending doom growing in the back of his mind didn't help matters, either. Or, maybe it did. Shouldn't they make the most of the present, especially if their time was short?

How he wished he could be sure how she'd react, but he wasn't about to invade her thoughts just to save himself some embarrassment. The key would be to put just the right amount of spin on what would obviously seem like a proposal, so that Rose didn't go running home if he were wrong.

Coward. Every time.

Just be casual, he told himself. "Oh, by the way Rose, I picked this up when we were at the bazaar," he said, pulling out the ring from his breast pocket and bouncing it in his hand nonchalantly. "Noticed you looking at it; you want it?" He scowled, putting the ring back in his pocket.

"Hey, Rose? Y'know how we got married back when we visited Stonehenge? Well, want a ring, too?"

"Rose," he tried again, "I know I said I didn't do domestic." He sighed.

"So, Rose, how long did you say you're gonna stay with me?" Insert her adamant refusal to ever leave or be left. "Well, then. You might as well have this." He pulled the ring from his pocket, and mimed holding it up for invisible Rose to see. "Yeah, just a little something that caught my eye back at the bazaar. Oh, you saw it too? Perfect! Would you like to try it on?" The Doctor stopped, considering. Then, he dropped to his knee, and reached out for invisible Rose's hand. "I'm not sure, but it looks like it'd fit fairly well on this finger right here."

The Doctor stood, pleased with himself. He tucked the ring back into his pocket, and headed out to find Rose. He had a magnificent alien sunset to show her, and a little question to ask.

* * *

The Doctor let Rose exit the TARDIS ahead of him. He heard her gasp as she looked at the landscape. He'd really done well, this time. Right planet, even the right moment. Beyond the graceful rock arches and the flying, giant manta rays, the sky was a deep, burnt orange as the setting sun hung just above the horizon.

They walked a few feet from the TARDIS, hand in hand, while Rose took everything in. "Amazing," she breathed. "What are they?" she asked, watching the creatures move through the air above their heads.

"Flying rays," the Doctor answered as if it were obvious.

Rose gave him a look that clearly said, "well if you don't know what they're called, you could just say so."

The Doctor looked out at the sky, remembering why he was so eager to bring her here. He could almost imagine he was standing on Gallifrey, as if one sun were merely hiding behind the rock formations, just out of view. Well, he thought to himself, if he was about to ask her to share her life with him, he might as well share a bit of his life with her. He cleared his throat. "See how orange the sky is," he ventured, "even more than you'd ever see on earth?"

"It's beautiful," said Rose, staring in awe.

"Reminds me of Gallifrey," he said, and waited for her reaction.

After a moment, Rose asked, "Tell me 'bout 'em?" Then, "What you said before, you've been a dad." She looked at him, and he saw her concern and compassion. "You can tell me . . . if you want."

So he did.

He didn't look at her at first. He couldn't. But he held her hand like a lifeline as he delved back into the memories, how much he had taken for granted, the immense joy, the unfathomable pain.

When he'd finished, Rose tugged him towards her gently and enveloped him in a hug. "I'm sorry," she repeated softly, as they stood together.

"Thank you," the Doctor told her, holding her close.

She pulled back slightly and smiled, wiping at the tracks of tears he hadn't even realized he'd cried. Then she kissed him. A gloriously sweet kiss, that he could have sworn made his hearts actually glow.

Rose eventually released him, turning away with a trace of a smile. The Doctor mimicked her position, hands in pockets, watching the incredible creatures soar through the air, as the sun drew nearer to setting.

He was ready. He could never have imagined a better companion; like, but unlike, she complimented him in the most unexpected ways. She was the one. "How long are you gonna stay with me?" he asked. She'd say her bit, then he'd take out the ring--

Rose looked over at him in complete seriousness. "Forever," she said, simply. She turned back to the vista, a beautiful smile on her face.

The Doctor nearly choked, but forced a smile. Forever. He turned unseeing towards the sunset. Of course, she'd say that. The one thing they couldn't actually have. He felt the ring as if it were burning against his chest. Forever. She could spend the rest of her life with him, but he--how could he ask her to? What was he thinking?

He'd gotten caught up. All of their familiarity, the hand-holding, the hugs, the touches, the kisses. It was bliss, for him. And Rose certainly seemed to enjoy it. But what made him think she even wanted more? She wasn't exactly soft-spoken, his Rose. If she'd actually entertained thoughts of anything like marriage, he would have heard about it by now, wouldn't he? Forever, she'd said. And yet, it was just travelling to her. Earth was boring. She'd found some excitement in her life, that's all. Her compassion for him, it was fantastic, but not unique. Her universal compassion and understanding were her most amazing qualities.

As the sun finally dipped below the horizon, his earlier sense of foreboding returned. A storm coming. Something to split them up, once and for all. It was all he wanted, to spend the rest of his lives with her. But her wants, and even more, her safety came first.

Rose's voice broke into his musings. "Ready to go, then?" she asked, turning towards the TARDIS and holding her hand out to him.

The Doctor just smiled, not trusting his voice at the moment. He took her hand and followed her into his ship.

The Doctor breathed deeply, taking in the familiar sights and sounds of the TARDIS, trying to clear the melancholy from his mind. "So," he said to Rose as he made his way around the console. "Where to next?"

She'd shrugged out of her coat, leaving it on the captain's chair. Walking up behind him, she casually slid her arms around him, under his arms, bringing her hands up to rest on his chest--one over each heart. He felt her rest her cheek against the his back, and just relished their closeness. How did she always know just what he needed?

"Actually," she said after several moments, as if just registering his earlier question, "could we stop back at my Mum's"

That certainly got the Doctor's attention, in a rather unpleasant way. "What? We haven't even been gone a week!" In the midst of his complaining, the thought occurred to him, she is her mother. Some people still have living relatives they care about. And here he was, trying to get her to obligate her to himself. Stupid, selfish--

"Yeah, well, I've still got laundry to do," Rose countered, pulling slightly away, but keeping her arms around his waist, obviously unaware of the Doctor's somber thoughts.

He kept up the banter, covering his mood. "How can you _possibly _have more laundry?" the Doctor asked. "We were at the most famous laundromat in all of time and space not three days ago!"

Rose mumbled something inaudible into his shoulder.

"Sorry, didn't quite catch that," said the Doctor, turning his head, straining to see her face.

She pulled completely away, swatting at his shoulder. "I said, I wasn't gonna trust 'em with my knickers!"

Oh. "Back to the Powell Estates, it is," said the Doctor, staring resolutely at the console while he input the destination.

The things he'd do for his Rose.

Anything for her.

Even give her up.

* * *

_The end._

_Look for "Ghost of a Chance" next, followed--unfortunately--by "Through the Gloom and Doom", a tag for "Doomsday"; but I promise I'll try and make it not as gloomy or doomy as the title implies. I'll try :)_


End file.
